played local reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep in several past episodes, filmed several scenes where she and Andy flirt, but he ultimately rejects her due to his feelings for April. All of these scenes were cut from the final episode due to length restrictions, which Schur said he regretted because he found Becker very funny. Filming "The Master Plan" was directed by Dean Holland, his third directorial credit after "Greg Pikitis" and "Sweetums". The script read-through and filming took place in March 2010. Rob Lowe's first day of filming took place on his birthday, March 17, which was the same day the scene where he kissed Rashida Jones was shot. The original cut of "The Master Plan" was a full 30 minutes and had to be cut down to 22 minutes for broadcast. The staff of Parks and Recreation had difficulty editing the episode down because the script involved so many interconnected subplots between the characters. Screenwriter Harris Wittels said, "As soon as you'd cut one thing, you had to cut something else because it was tied to another piece." Among the scenes cut were an extended cold open in which Ron gives April a handgun for her 21st birthday, much to the chagrin of Leslie. Also cut was a scene in which Ron chastises Leslie for yelling at Ben at the Snakehole Lounge and orders her to apologize to him so she will not be fired. Instead, the episode was changed to reflect that Leslie decided to apologize to Ben herself, with the line from Leslie "I have to go swallow my pride" added just before she spoke to Ben. During one scene, Ann and Mark have a discussion at J.J.'s Diner, a Pawnee restaurant that had previously been featured in the episodes "The Reporter" and "Summer Catalog". In all three episodes, a different interior set is used, although the exterior building shots are the same. At the Snakehole Lounge, Tom flirts with a woman by giving her a bottle cap "to remember him by", then later unsuccessfully tries to find her again in the nightclub. This was not part of the script, and was conceived and added to the episode about 10 minutes before the scene was shot. During one of the final scenes, when Ben informs Leslie and Ron that the Pawnee government will be shut down, Ron looks directly at the camera and makes a comical grin. Although